


Something to Smile For

by LightRedFox



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Confessions, First Date, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:35:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26879824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightRedFox/pseuds/LightRedFox
Summary: Rider and Aloha are idiots in love. That’s it.My part of an art-writing trade!
Relationships: Aloha/Rider (Splatoon)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16
Collections: CoroikaCollection





	Something to Smile For

“Rider! Rider! Check the league results!” Aloha’s excited voice rang through the area as the pink inkling jumped up from his seat, his chair nearly falling backwards from the force of being pushed so suddenly.

“What?” The inkling in question looked away from his half eaten seanwich and glanced up at his companion, eyebrow raised at the sudden outburst.

“The league results! The stages just rotated-look at our league power!” Aloha didn’t wait for another reply, thrusting his squidphone in front of Rider’s face.

“Alright, alright, calm down. Let’s see…”

The yellow green inkling took Aloha’s phone from his hands and squinted at what was displayed on screen.

“Pair league power, 2230….gold….” His eyes widened.

“Rank 2.”

Rider had never gotten into the top 5 pairs before, so his surprise was understandable. Sure, he had reached gold multiple times with his team, but they had never placed this high. It was a new achievement, and one he was extremely proud of.

“I knew our double Booyah Bombs were unbeatable.” Aloha laughed, snatching his phone back and holding it up high to stare at the results again.

“Rank 2! TWO! We beat Army and Forge, Mask and Skull-ugh, of course Vintage and Omega are Rank 1 again.” His expression turned to one of disgust for a split second before going back to being excited.

“But we totally outranked the others! I-We beat Skull!”

Rider couldn’t help but grin along with him; Aloha’s happiness was contagious. He had been trying since the beginning to prove his worth as a member of the S5, and his efforts had paid off from the looks of it. No way people were just gonna dismiss him as a substitute player now.

Aloha suddenly wrapped an arm around Rider’s shoulders and raised his phone up high, quickly taking a selfie while Rider was still in a good mood.

Click!

“Wh-Hey! I wasn’t ready!” The smile immediately wiped off his face, but it was too late by then; the memory already safely captured in the pink inkling’s phone.

“It’s fine, you look great!” Aloha looked down at the photo, a rare one where Rider was genuinely smiling. He could probably count the times he’d seen the other smile with his fingers, so this photo was definitely a keeper.

“You need to smile more, it’s way more handsome than just scowling all the time.”

Rider scowled in response buried his face into the collar of his jacket to try and hide the growing blush on his face, thankfully succeeding in part due to Aloha turning away from him.

“Guess who got Rank 2 in Splat Zones?” Aloha spoke to himself, typing up the words on his phone before finishing up his post and sharing it on his Inkstagram.

“I’m sure everyone’s checking the league results right now, we just need to wait for their reactions. I bet Army's gonna be so mad about getting the lowest among the five of us.” Aloha chuckled, flopping back down on his seat.

Rider recovered quickly, putting his poker face back on, but the other boy’s words were still stuck in his head. At least he didn’t look flustered anymore, or else he wouldn’t know how to explain it away without getting embarrassed again.

“What did he expect though? He’s the weakest among us after all.”

Aloha’s words snapped Rider back to reality, and he cocked an eyebrow at the pink inkling.

“What happened to me being the weakest link?” Rider asked, and Aloha waved the question off dismissively.

“Oh don’t get me wrong, you’re still weaker than me. I practically carried you the entire time,”

“Hey now-”

“buuuut you’re pretty good at splatting people, Mr. Only Need One. At least you can do stuff without looking at a book half the time.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” He huffed.

“You know what this calls for? A party. A hugeeeee one.” Aloha quickly changed the subject as the party animal’s eyes sparkled excitedly, the gears beginning to turn in his head.

“I’ll get Scoobs and OG to order a shit ton of pizza and soda for tonight, and invite all the teams over to the beach house to rub our league power in their faces. I can already see Army’s face-”

“I’ll pass. You know I’m not one for parties.”

Aloha blinked in response, and frowned before slumping back down in his seat.

“Hmph, party pooper. I was just getting a bunch of ideas, too.”

“I don’t have to be there, you know. Feel free to go hog wild, I’ll just be far, far away from a hot and noisy house crowded with strangers.”

Aloha pouted, clearly not happy with that idea as he tapped his fingers against the table, taking a sip from his juice. The pink inkling was trying (and failing) not to completely give it away, but he was trying to drag Rider along with him somewhere-anywhere! Not just to celebrate their victory, but also to get closer to the yellow green inkling and get to know him better. Their battles together were the perfect chance to do just that, since the battlefield was essentially their second home, but while Aloha was glad that Rider even agreed to team up with him for league, it just wasn’t the same as getting to know him outside of battle. Aloha pondered on what else he could suggest when another lightbulb went off in his head.

“Okay, screw the party! If you don’t like crowded places, I’ll take you somewhere nice and fancy with not too many people!”

“Hm?” That got his attention.

“I know a place with the best view of the ocean, and pretty good food too!” He gestured around with his hands to accentuate his point.

“Let’s go there! Just the two of us!”

“W-What?” Rider jumped back slightly, trying his best to fight off the slight flush that appeared on his cheeks once more.

“Just us two...?”

“Yeah! I know you’re boring and only like training-”

“Hey!”

“so let’s just go do something simple, like dinner! You don’t have to worry about too many people being there if we go early enough! C’mon, it would be a waste to let the day go by without doing something to commemorate a special victory, right?”

Aloha’s eyes shone hopefully at Rider’s, and the other inkling’s body tensed slightly as he sighed, knowing he didn’t exactly have a choice. Well, he DID have the final say, but dinner with Aloha didn’t sound too bad...

“...Alright. I’ll go.”

“Great! I’ll just text you the location and we can meet there at around 5pm!” Aloha was already bouncing in excitement, jumping up from his seat once more and quickly tapping something onto his phone.

“I’ll go ahead and freshen up for tonight. See ya there!” He ran off towards the train station, most likely to return to his home. He was gone before Rider could get a word out, not even bothering to finish his lunch. A few seconds later Rider’s phone beeped, and he opened the message to see it was the location, sent from Aloha.

“Someone’s excited.” Rider thought in amusement, shoulders relaxing as he continued to eat his lunch, seanwich still thankfully warm. He had hours to prepare; he wasn’t leaving perfectly good food behind.

xxx

The hum of the motorcycle’s engine slowly came to a halt as Rider pulled into the parking lot, stepping off his bike and shutting the engine off before tucking his keys into his jacket. His outfit didn’t change much from the afternoon, since the inkling practically refused to go anywhere without his namesake. The only noticable differences were the pants he wore instead of his regular shorts, and a golden toothpick inserted next to his hair tie, just for show.

The location Aloha had sent turned out to be near the pier, specifically one of the fancy restaurants that lined the edges of the water, all with a clear view of the horizon. Rider could already see multiple boats docking or leaving towards the sunset, their sails flapping gently with the breeze.

The wooden planks creaked as he made his way up the steps, spotting a few jellyfish couples along the way, gazing out at the sea together. It did seem nice, and he bet it would be even more breathtaking at dusk, with all the orange hues of the setting sun as a background. He wondered if Aloha would want to watch the sunset with him...Rider shook his head and continued walking, making his way to the seating areas.

He spotted Aloha sitting patiently at a table for two right next to the water, only simple metal railings keeping them from toppling into the sea. Dangerous, maybe, but it also meant having the best view in the house. He was also fairly certain neither of them would be dumb enough to fall off. Hopefully.

The pink inkling was kicking his legs up and down below the table as he meddled idly with his phone, yet to take notice of the new arrival. He had a small flower, hibiscus from the looks of it, tucked behind his ear, and wore a plain black tuxedo jacket and slacks. It almost looked fancy, but the multi-colored sneakers combined with the unchanged golf visor and hawaiian shirt ruined the effect. Rider coughed loudly to get his attention and sure enough Aloha looked up, a grin forming on his face when they made eye contact.

“Rider! You came!”

“Of course I did. I said I’d come, didn’t I?” He replied, taking a seat across from Aloha.

“I’m surprised you got here before me though, I even came here earlier than the time you mentioned.” 

“I guess you could say I couldn’t wait.” Aloha gave a sheepish grin.

“If only you were like this all the time; you’re always late to practice.”

“Hey! That’s called being fashionably late!”

A jellyfish wearing a bow tie and tuxedo vest came over to take their orders, handing them both menus and table napkins before setting down plates and utensils.

“Order whatever you’d like, it’s on me.” Aloha said as he tied the napkin around his neck like a bib.

“I can pay for myself, you know.”

“Rider, I invited you here, which makes you my guest! As the host, I need to treat my guest-or something along those lines.”

“If you insist...I’ll have the ribeye.” Rider grunted, handing the menu back to the waiter. “Medium rare.”

“Oh, so the moment I offer to pay, you order the most expensive thing on the menu.”

“I was going to order it either way!” He said defensively, and Aloha simply laughed.

“I’m just teasing. Don’t be surprised if I steal some off your plate, though.”

Aloha ordered a simple caesar salad and drink for himself and sent the waiter off, leaving the two of them alone again.

“So, uh, any particular reason you chose this place?” Rider asked, trying not to keep them in an awkward silence. Aloha replied with a shrug.

“I just wanted to do something we could both enjoy. Dinner with a view is kinda cliche, but it’s still nice, isn’t it?” 

“It’s a great idea I admit, but I would’ve been fine with going to a taco joint too. Celebrations don’t have to be big.”

“Yeah, I guess, but there’s also nothing wrong with something special every once in a while.”

They chatted a bit more, topics ranging from the freshest brands in Inkopolis to what a roller that could only ink by rolling be like. The entire time, Rider couldn’t help but chance a few glances at the other inkling, somewhat captivated by his presence. Maybe it was his voice, smooth with a light air to it, or the way the setting sun in the distance reflected off the pink of his tentacles, making it glimmer. It might have even been the way the corners of his mouth scrunched up right before he burst into laughter-

“You alright?” Aloha looked at Rider, cocking his head a bit as a hand swirled the straw of the fruity drink he had ordered earlier.

Ah shit, he was caught staring, wasn’t he?

“Yeah, just admiring the area. This place is so fancy, I kinda feel out of place.” A good excuse, but he’s been full of them today. Aloha’s bound to notice eventually.

“What, because we didn’t dress up properly or something? Nobody’s stopping me from wearing this hawaiian shirt except me.”

Rider couldn’t help but chuckle at that. Luckily, their food arrived at that moment, getting both of their attention. Aloha’s salad was nice, a simple dressing over scattered pieces of chicken and croutons, but Rider’s meal overshadowed it completely. The pink inkling stared in awe at the juicy steak set down in front of Rider, complete with buttered vegetables and baked potatoes. His eyes didn’t leave the sight even after the waiter left, watching as Rider cut a piece of the meat and chewed it, humming in satisfaction as he swallowed.

“You gonna start eating or what?”

“I-I will.” Aloha grabbed his fork and stabbed it into his salad, eating a mouthful of lettuce and dressing.

The yellow green inkling proceeded to cut the rest of his meal into bite sized pieces. Perfect, Aloha though to himself. When Rider moved to drink from his glass of water, Aloha easily bent his arm over the table and stabbed a piece of steak for himself, eagerly plopping it into his mouth while the other inkling rolled his eyes.

“Why didn’t you just order your own?”

“I’m on a diet.” He protested, the words coming out a bit muffled due to him still chewing the stolen food.

Rider sighed and continued eating his meal. Aloha went back to eating his salad, taking in a few more bites before not so sneakily getting another piece of steak for himself. He couldn’t help it, the steak was delicious; much more appetizing than just a boring salad. Rider was admittedly a bit annoyed, but it’s not like he was paying for it, so he just ate the rest of his meal at a faster pace to deter Aloha from getting too much from him.

They finished their meals pretty quickly, and once the jellyfish came over with their check and Aloha had given them his credit card, the two were once again left alone without anything to do other than talk.

“So, did you like the food?” Aloha asked, contentedly wiping some crumbs off his face.

“Yeah, it was great, but I think you liked it more.”

“It was only a few pieces!” He pouted in response.

“I mean I don’t mind, you did pay the check after all. And well…”Rider trailed off a bit, and Aloha raised an eyebrow at his loss of words.

“And?”

Rider scratched his cheek awkwardly, averting the other’s gaze.

“This might sound weird, but...I enjoyed spending time with you like this. It felt really personal, something that only we could share.....and I really liked that feeling.” He cringed internally at his own words. Cod, when did he become such a sap?

“...I feel the same way.”

“What?” Rider looked back up at Aloha, who had a somewhat serious look on his face.

“Yeah, I invited you here to celebrate absolutely kicking ass in league, but it was also so that I could get closer to you. The only time I ever see you is for training, or league, or whatever! Call me selfish, but I want to be with you outside of just battling all the time.”

Rider couldn’t believe his ears. His mind was operating slowly, trying to understand what the other inkling meant.

“Oh. I-that’s, uh, kinda surprising. I didn’t really expect you to feel the same way.”

Aloha stared directly at Rider with his mouth slightly agape, like he couldn’t believe his words. An awkward silence fell over them until he realized the yellow green inkling was completely serious. Then he burst into hysterics, laughter loud enough to attract attention from the surrounding tables.

“W-What the shell?”

“Oh my cod-have you REALLY not noticed???”

“Noticed what?”

Aloha calmed down a bit, still giggling but holding most of it back.

“For a smartass, you sure are an idiot. I’ve been flirting with you for fucking weeks.”

Suddenly, everything clicked in his head. The sudden invitation to go out, the continuous compliments-even pairing up for league! The only thing he could really say in this situation was...

“Oh.”

“Guess I should just flat out say it, huh?” Aloha’s laughter mostly stopped, and he wiped away small tears that had formed under his eyes.

“I like you Rider. A lot. You deal with my bullshit, you’re a down to earth guy, and I know I can rely on you. Also you’re hot, can’t forget that part.”

“I-I uh-” Rider was at a genuine loss for words, completely flustered at the confession. Finally, after a few seconds of incoherent babbling, he spoke.

“I...guess I like you too.”

Aloha grinned happily, ears twitching in delight at the confirmation.

“That’s-That’s honestly so good to hear directly from you. I mean I had my suspicions, but I was still kinda nervous asking you out tonight.”

Rider returned the smile, the fact that his feelings were returned finally hitting him. It felt amazing, and his hearts were beating a mile a minute, as if they’d soar out of his chest at any moment.

“So, uh, does that mean we’re dating now?”

“Yes! I mean, if you want to.”

“Of course I do. Then I guess this counts as our first date?” Rider looked around the area, the orange light of the setting sun hitting everything in the vicinity with its glow. Not bad for a first date, he realized. Now he knew why Aloha had insisted on such a special place.

“Yeah, I guess!” Aloha stood up from his seat and tugged Rider’s hand to pull him out of his, the inkling standing up in response.

“C’mon, the ocean’s perfect right now! Go lean on the railing and let’s take a photo before the sun goes down!” Aloha positioned himself against the metal railing, phone already in his raised hand, and Rider followed suit, this time wrapping an arm around his new boyfriend’s waist and willingly smiling for the camera.

Two inklings stood against the backdrop of the sea, smiles on their faces as the setting sun bathed everything in an orange light.

Click!


End file.
